Matthijs de Ligt assures he is ‘very happy’ at Juventus, reveals three teammates have ‘struck me’ and calls Maurizio Sarri ‘Italy’s answer to Total Football’.
De Ligt was again linked with moves to Barcelona and Manchester United earlier in the coronavirus lockdown, but the defender reiterated his desire to stay at Juve for the long haul.
“My first feeling was happiness: Juventus bought me, one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he told Tuttosport.
Matthijs de Ligt assures he is ‘very happy’ at Juventus, reveals three teammates have ‘struck me’ and calls Maurizio Sarri ‘Italy’s answer to Total Football’.
De Ligt was again linked with moves to Barcelona and Manchester United earlier in the coronavirus lockdown, but the defender reiterated his desire to stay at Juve for the long haul.
“My first feeling was happiness: Juventus bought me, one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he told Tuttosport.
“Compared to life at Ajax, everything was different. Let’s say the first big difference that struck me was the international stature of the club.
“Then there was the welcome given to me by my new teammates, an exceptional group of lads.
“All of them were really nice to me and helpful. They immediately made me feel part of a family.
“I’m very happy at Juventus. I found out during this period without football that someone made up a few things about me.
“I’m really happy to be here, training every day with extraordinary players. I have the desire to improve every day so, yes, I’m happy.”
The Dutchman was then asked about the Bianconeri players who had particularly caught his eye.
“To be honest, the general level of the team is really high. Obviously there’s Ronaldo, but I won’t name him because everyone knows who Cristiano is and what he can do.
“Therefore, I’ll say there are two more players who struck me: one is Dybala, who has truly stunning technique.
“The other, and it might sound strange to some, is Rodrigo Bentancur, a player with truly amazing technical ability.
“I’d say he’s quite underrated. He’s a great player with a great future ahead of him.”
Finally, the 20-year-old praised Sarri for his mix of tactics and technique, likening his philosophy to that of a Dutch coach.
“[He is] a tactician. He’s very attentive to that side of the game and he has an extremely precise idea of football.
“He wants us to build from the back and play technical football, more or less like what I was used to at Ajax.
“Basically, you can say that he’s very ‘Dutch’, even if his Italian spirit remains strong. It could be said that he’s Italy’s answer to Total Football.”